With their last draft picks, Browns return to offense and choose a tight end, interior lineman and receiver

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.

Takeaways from third day of Browns draft …

1.After spending Day 2 on defense (safety Grant Delpit, defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, linebacker Jacob Phillips), the Browns returned to offense on Day 3. They selected tight end Harrison Bryant of Florida Atlantic in Round 4, center/guard Nick Harris of Washington in Round 5 and wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones of Michigan in Round 6.

Bryant became the first FBS player to win the Mackey Award as the nation’s best tight end after a season of 1,004 yards and seven touchdowns in the spread offense of coach Lane Kiffin.

Harris made 17 starts at guard (15 at right guard) his first two seasons at Washington, and 25 at center in his last two. His breakout came after his sophomore year, he said, when he added about 18 pounds. His 6-1 height is what is believed to have pushed him down the draft board.

Peoples-Jones is a marvelous athlete who passes the eye test (6-1 5/8 and 212 pounds), clocking a 4.48 in the 40 at the combine, but his production at receiver didn’t match expectations at Michigan. As a punt returner, he averaged 8.3 yards on 89 returns and had two touchdowns and made All-America as a return specialist as a freshman.

2.The selection of Bryant draws attention to the next big business decision facing the Browns by May 4. By that date, they have to make a call on the fifth-year options of 2017 first-round draft picks Myles Garrett and David Njoku. (The third No. 1 that year, Jabrill Peppers, is now with the Giants.) A nuance of the new CBA is that fifth-year options are now fully guaranteed (along with the player’s fourth-year salary) instead of guaranteed for injury only. It makes it a tougher decision for borderline players. But that applies only to players in the 2018 draft and beyond.

3.So Njoku’s fifth-year option of approximately $6.241 million for the 2021 season would be guaranteed for injury only, which, technically gives the Browns a whole season to change their mind. That’s happened with other players around the league. GM Andrew Berry said it doesn’t matter. “I have been pretty consistent this offseason in terms of we still have a ton of belief in David,” Berry said. “He is very talented. Obviously, he was not on the field much last year, but he is a guy with outstanding physical tools, he has proven NFL production and we still think the future is very bright with him here. David has always been and continues to be in our plans, and we are going to continue to add competition all across the roster.” So it sounds as if the Browns intend to proceed with free agent pickup Austin Hooper, Njoku and Bryant. Hooper’s salary cap figure surges from $3.5 million this year to $8.25 million in 2021. So, Njoku’s estimated $6.241 million figure in his fifth year would commit $14.4 million to the Browns’ top two tight ends. That’s a lot.

4.Coach Kevin Stefanski said this about having Hooper, Njoku and Bryant. “I really think there’s a way to get all these guys on the field, sometimes at the same time. I think there’s versatility in that position. Being able to move guys around the formation is a very big deal. I think keeping teams in base defense can be helpful at times, not every game. … It’s my job, our coaches job, to make it work with the guys we have and the more we have in the room, I think the merrier.”

5.Coming from Florida Atlantic, a non-Power 5 conference program, Bryant cited his work week at the Senior Bowl as “the most important part of this whole process for me … proving I could compete on that field and I could hold my own on the field with that type of talent. I went there and I felt like I had a great week picking up a lot of things.” Glenn Cook, Browns assistant director of scouting, concurred that the college all-star weeks, of which the Senior Bowl is most notable, is extremely valuable in any pre-draft season, let alone this one changed so drastically by the Covid-19 pandemic. Cook said, “Between the ability to see them throughout the week in different meeting settings or just across different exposures and then definitely competing on the field, you can you can glean a lot from that week-long experience.”

It so happened, of course, that the Browns were without a GM or coaching staff at this year’s Senior Bowl because Berry and Stefanski were not hired until after it passed. So the Browns’ scouts worked that week without the typical supervision of a GM. Lame-duck personnel execs Eliot Wolf and Alonzo Highsmith, who have since departed, were the highest-ranking team officials there. “I think our group did a really good job of coming together and really just using some of the experienced guys that we did have in our group to help direct us in that time. We kind of stayed the course,” Cook said. “It worked out pretty well. It didn’t throw us off too much. Obviously, you like to have your group in place, but I think we did a really good job of adjusting.”

It turned out that Bryant’s exposure to the Browns was helped by the fact the Cincinnati Bengals’ staff coached in the Senior Bowl. Their quarterbacks coach, Alex Van Pelt, was hired as Stefanski’s offensive coordinator.

6.In a deep year for wide receivers, Peoples-Jones was the 28th one selected. On his Zoom interview, he almost looked shaken by the experience of waiting for the 187th pick overall in the sixth round. “I just need one chance, and I’m very thankful to the Browns for giving me that chance,” he said. “Yeah, it has been tough. Never really imagined this, but I am so blessed and so grateful that the Browns selected me and believe in me.”

Peoples-Jones had 103 receptions and 14 touchdowns in three years at Michigan, causing some evaluators to label him an underachiever. “I don’t think that’s a fair criticism. It honestly doesn’t matter now,” he said. He wouldn’t say where he felt he ranked in the receivers class. “I think the rankings will reveal themselves in a couple years. It’s going to be a great next couple years.” Peoples-Jones’ father is an orthopedic surgeon. He hopes to follow in his footsteps.

7.The failure to acquire a legit starting defensive end means Olivier Vernon can breathe easier about playing through the last year of his Giants contract at a team-high $15.25 million. “Olivier is a good football player, and we like having good football players on the roster. He is a talented defensive end. He is here and will continue to be here,” Berry said.